Little Darwin

I initially bought a hybrid about 11 years ago, and have always (and still think) that I may migrate to road bikes, but I only ride roads occasionally, since I usually stick to rail trails and multi-use paths. I have ridden up to 68 miles at a time on the old bike. It was hard, but that was mostly due to the fact that I am fat. In some cases a road bike might be more efficient, but I am not into efficient as much as having fun and getting in shape, both of which work on a hybrid.

I have a touring bike (a relaxed geometry road bike) set up with Shimano 105 that ran me over $1,000 that I keep thinking I will ride "soon" and maybe this will be the year, but I am enjoying my hybrid experience in the mean time.

I talk to other cyclists that would never ride a hybrid because they prefer their $3,000 road bikes too much (I work with one guy that has 3 different race oriented road bikes), but we don't ride together, so the difference in their riding styles and bikes and mine is not relevant.

If you want to ride fast with a road bike rider (or a group of road bike riders) then a road bike would be very helpful, otherwise, enjoy the ride on your hybrid.

Wanderer

Hybrids sound perfect for your intended use, and there a lot of really nice ones out there.

Expect the snobby roadies to thumb their noses, but they are lacking a lot anyway!

Then, when you smoke their fat butt, you can smile and wave as you sail past them.

KraneXL

Then allow me to make it simple: LBS. Unless you're a pro, and/or already know exactly what you're ordering and want, that's how you buy a bike.

Chose a style of bike first (road, mountain, cross, etc.) just like you'd choose a car (sports car, SUV, sedan), then worry about the manufactures. Once you narrow down the manufacturers you prefer, then you test ride and make your choice. Sound familiar?

Nevertheless, the first thing you need to do is establish a budget. That alone will narrow your choices, and give anyone you seek advice from something to work with. Somewhere in the neighborhood of $500. is a reasonable amount you should expect to pay for a good adult bike.

simplybao

What you are describing sounds like you need a hybrid. My husband and I got back into bikes last Spring and they were the first bikes we'd had in over 20 years. I used to be a MTB rider and so I built a MTB and he got an FX 7.4 This is a situation where I should have gotten a hybrid first as a dual suspension MTB is not that great for riding paved trails. So I got an Escape and we proceeded to ride over 700 miles in a few months. Loved the experience. Now I'm building another bike. This one will be a "cafe racer" type of bike.

If you don't like drop bars, you don't like them. We have ridden over 30 miles on our flatbar bikes and they are great. I used to have bar ends then I switched to a curved "s" type of handlebar and I love it. I get multiple hand positions and it's comforable. A bar switch is cheap too.

Good luck!